Chateau Vieux Maillet 2010

Since its purchase in 2004 by Mr & Mrs Laviale, Château Vieux Maillet has been making a name for itself. Its first-class wine making facilities, coupled with the finest management techniques and a real know-how, help to produce some of the finest wines of its appellation. The Château’s 8,65 hectares are located on the edge of the Pomerol Plateau and are composed of diverse soil types, planted predominately in Merlot, Cabernet Franc and, more recently, Cabernet Sauvignon. This diversity confers much complexity to the wines. Vinification The grapes are harvested manually and then sorted, once mechanically with the use of an immersion system known as Tribaie, followed by a second manual selection on a sorting table. A pre-fermentation cold maceration is carried out and lasts for several days (duration will vary) at a temperature of around 5-8°C for 5 days. The fermentation itself takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats and the temperature does not exceed 30°C. Daily pumping over ensures good colour extraction. A post-fermentation hot maceration is then carried out and the temperature can reach 29-30°C. The total vatting time extends to around one month. A malolactic fermentation is then carried out, 30% in new oak barrels and the remainder within stainless steel vats. Ageing The wine is aged in 30% new French oak barrels and 70% used French oak and receives around 14 months barrel ageing. Finning with egg whites and light filtering before bottling.